Where’d All the Parts Go? Makers vs the Modern Supply Chain
“There was a time you could build a whole synth from a parts bin at Halted. Now I need a VPN just to find an ATmega chip that isn’t counterfeit.”
— Wing
🧰 Building in 2023: Less Maker, More Forager#
Remember when you could order a dev board from SparkFun, slap in a few passives from Digi-Key, and have your blinking prototype up by the weekend?
Now it’s:
- “Backordered until Q4.”
- “MOQ: 3,000 units.”
- “This product is discontinued due to global constraints.”
And half the eBay listings look like someone printed a screenshot of a datasheet and sold it as a module.
🏭 What Happened?#
Global reasons:#
- 2020–2022 supply chain disruptions (COVID, port delays)
- Semiconductor shortages that hit even hobbyist ICs
- Big companies bulk-buying microcontrollers, sensors, and power chips for appliances, cars, and IoT toothbrushes
Structural changes:#
- Classic components (e.g. ATmega328P, FTDI chips, old MOSFETs) being phased out or hoarded
- Chinese suppliers consolidating or switching SKUs quietly
- Maker platforms prioritizing their branded dev boards over raw parts
🧠 The Retro Parts Privilege#
Back in the 2000s:
- You could walk into Fry’s and grab a logic IC for a school project
- Surplus stores carried Soviet-era tube gear and full pallets of DIP sockets
- RadioShack had drawers of tactile switches and resistors (yes, they were overpriced—but they were there)
Now?
- You might wait 4–12 weeks for a Teensy board
- Half your BOM gets replaced with sketchy “equivalents”
- Aliexpress listings lie. Constantly.
⚠️ The Maker Dilemma in 2023#
You either:
- Wait for official channels to restock (and pay the price),
- Scavenge from old equipment (RIP, working DVD players), or
- Redesign projects around whatever is available this week
We’re not designing for function—we’re designing for availability.
🧓 Wing’s Tinkerer’s Warning#
It’s not that making is dead. It’s just become something else.
Less: “What do I want to build?”
More: “What can I still source that hasn’t been absorbed into the Amazon-supply-black-hole or replaced by a sealed blob on a proprietary PCB?”
We’ve traded access for abstraction.
And I miss the parts bins.
🔧 Solutions? Sort of.#
- Local hackerspaces sometimes have gold. Ask around.
- Vintage parts lots on ham radio forums are still a thing.
- Learn to love substitution charts. And ZIF sockets.
- And if you find a good source for tactile switches? Don’t tell anyone. Guard it like a family recipe.
💬 Still building in this mess? Have a secret stash or sourcing tip? Reach out. Because the fewer parts we can find, the more we need each other.